When we see things go wrong in the lives of God’s people in the Bible, we tend to focus upon their outward behavior and the result. They disobey and are punished, they complain and are plagued, they rebel and are defeated by their enemies.
But that would be a superficial reading of Moses’ words. The real problem which underlies these other symptoms is unbelief, a refusal to believe in God and His promises.
This reality is lost on many, as they have been taught that “the Old Testament is Law, and the New Testament is grace.” How sad, and how far off we can be! God gave the law because of their disobedience, but even that was a sign of His grace, grace which He abundantly had poured out upon them.
God identifies the true problem, asking Moses (Numbers 14:11), “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?”
Nearly forty years later, as Moses is recounting Israel’s experience and failure, he summarizes like this: “Even after all he did, you refused to trust the Lord your God, who goes before you, looking for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.” Deuteronomy 1:32, 33
Five hundred years later, the psalmist will lament,
“The people refuse to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.”
Psalm 106:24 (NLT)
For us, no less than them, everyday life comes down to a simple, but profound, choice: Will I trust God in this present moment, or will I despise Him and doubt His grace?
What is wrong with these people is the very thing that so often is wrong with us.
“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
Isaiah 12:2